Is it bad to heat empty pans?

Question

When preheating a stainless steel or cast-iron pan I tend to throw it on a high temperature with nothing in it and leave it on for several minutes until it is very hot. I then add the oil and cook. I can't add the oil at the start because it would burn during the heating process over the long time.

A couple people over the years have mentioned that you shouldn't heat a pan without having oil or food in it. I didn't pay much attention because my method has never caused any problems (that I know of).

Today I got a set of 5-ply stainless Henckels pans. I took a quick look at the instructions and it says "never leave an empty pan on the cook top.... this can quickly lead to irreversible damage....". This took me by surprise.

Is it bad to heat empty pans?

Answer 1

It's a question of degree. Something bubbling in there will dissipate heat, keeping the pan below a temperature at which metals start to deform. A well-designed pan matched to an appropriate heat source (diameter, consistency) will put up with a great deal more heat than it takes to sear broccoli, but it's difficult to put a mark on where its limit lies that's clear to any user. Somewhere well below that limit is the difference between an empty and a not-empty pan, the observance of which makes Henckels and hungry people happy. Henckels may have tested their pans diligently and from their research could tell you that the real danger zone starts at x degrees, but their market isn't only cooks who also happen to have an infrared thermometer and don't mind tidying it away each time they reach for the oil. So they keep it simple, while also applying the precautionary principle. Stuff will usually do more than its vendors promise.

But this is also a question of time. Stuff will do amazing things... Until it breaks. A pan may perform flawlessly over very high heat for five years, or ten years, and one day suddenly go 'ping' and crack like an oyster. Its identical twin, used following every rule and guideline ever suggested for it, may remain intact until its bottom is worn away by wooden spoons. It depends on your reasons for cooking in the way that you do, and how much you enjoy it. It depends on how many spare pans you have, or whether you could easily replace a loss. For most pans in the world, the answer to your question would be a definite 'yes'. For your particular pans, at the degree to which you heat them, apparently the answer is a happy 'no'.

Answer 2

I highly doubt it, as it's what my household does every time we stir fry, and we stir fry pretty much everyday.

We used to use have Teflon coated frying pans, but we converted to use non-coated pans due to noticeable patches of Teflon missing on the pans, a.k.a. we ate the Teflon or the Teflon broke down and released toxic chemicals into the air...

This article from The Reluctant Gourmet points out that pros of both heating a pan after adding oil, and heating a pan before adding oil.

Here is the before-adding-oil part:

Reason For Heating Up a Pan Before Adding Fat

• It is the way most culinary students are taught. Not a great reason but interesting to know.
• It saves time. In professional kitchens, you will often see fry pans sitting on the stove tops getting hot so when the chef is ready to start cooking, they add a little oil and they are ready to go.
• There is some advanced science that talks about the pores on the surface of metal pans and how heat opens them up so the oil can get in to prevent sticking. Wayyyyy over my head.
• Most Importantly – It Helps Prevent Food From Sticking to the Pan

These are all good reasons why professional chefs like to start with hot pans but does it matter to a home cook?

To finish off by answering the question in the article: Yes, of course it does.